Debate around pitchers tends to center around ERA and FIP, and their component parts. However, there are a few other interesting tools for examining a pitcher’s overall performance in a season. One element that isn’t captured by either statistic is how often a given starting pitcher was, or wasn’t, bailed out of tight situations by their relief corps.
For this, we’ll turn to our old friend, deserved run average (DRA). DRA you ask? Another statistic? We’ve used DRA in the past in a few pieces, as it provides an interesting perspective on pitchers and pitching staff management, but let’s briefly re-introduce the concept.